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16.1.18

Newsletter for 16 January 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Next Roadside Demo -
Coffs Base Hospital Thursday January 25th 2:30pm

Next Market Bellingen
Sat 20th

Duttons cruelty

Duttons racism

An antidote to Dutton

Roadside
demonstration report

We had a small but
enthusiastic band of supporters for our roadside demo in Bellingen last
Thursday. The response from passing motorists was overwhelmingly positive
–enthusiastic even! – with lots of honking of horns for an hour and a half. You
will find a picture of the group on our Facebook page. Just click on the link
at the end of this newsletter. Our next demonstration will be in Coffs
Harbour, on the Pacific Highway opposite the Base hospital on Thursday
25th January from 2.30 until 4.00 pm. Please join us if you
can.

Our next market stall
will be at the Bellingen market this Saturday from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. We
have a new open letter for people to sign, new leaflets to hand out and lots of
merchandise for sale. If you can lend a hand on our stall for an hour or two,
then please email Mike at : mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com to
let him know. You will find us in Section C of the market. The Bellingen
market is always a busy and enjoyable event, so please come and join us if you
can.

Dutton’s cruelty
continues

In recent days it has
been reported that a refugee suffering an acute mental health crisis and a
broken ankle that requires surgery has been waiting for more than a year to be
transferred from Nauru to Australia. Doctors have repeatedly called for his urgent
transfer, stating: “risks are of brain damage occurring as a result of ongoing
seizures, and also harm and death.” Why has this man not been transferred to
Australia for treatment? Apparently it is because he is now so terribly unwell
that, if he is brought to Australia, he may never be well enough to be sent
back to Nauru. It seems that Minister Dutton is prepared to let this man die on
Nauru than allow him to set foot on Australian soil, where his wife and baby
are already living.

First it was the
Muslim community, and now it’s the turn of the Victorian South Sudanese refugee
community to be picked on by Minister Dutton. In relation to crime, we know
that race is neither correlative nor causative. We know that the key factors
that correlate with crime amongst youth are poverty and alienation from society
and its institutions. Dutton, however, likes to play the race card in order to
stoke fear, panic and mistrust, rather than tackle the real issues. Just as
Australian Muslims are constantly forced to defend their Australianness and
assert their abhorrence of violence, now it’s the turn of the South Sudanese
community to prove that they, like the rest of the Australian community, are
mostly peace loving, hardworking and honest citizens.

Meanwhile, in
Torquay, not far from Melbourne more than 100 “lawless youths” set upon police
on the night of 4th January, forcing the local police to call for back up from
Geelong and Melbourne. It took hours for the police to get the situation under
control. Five youths were arrested and charged with a number of offences,
including assault, riotous behaviour and drunk and disorderly.Minister Dutton
did not take to the airwaves to condemn this wanton violence. The youths were
white Australians, so did not fit into his racist agenda.

Caroline’s Twitter
antidote

“Hey Peter Dutton.
I’m heading to western suburbs of Melbourne for dinner – alone. Not scared,
because I’m pretty sure you won’t be there”.